Undertaker: A Death God's Past
by Ravenski
Summary: Victor, to pay for a funeral in his family, is put into the care of a mysterious- and creepy- undertaker. Little did he know this strange man would tell him a story... an equally mysterious and creepy story... and claim it to be the truth. Undertaker's past is revealed!
1. Genesis

The year… 1882. The place, Britain. The time… early morning...

A small boy, accompanied by his parents, walks into the shop of an undertaker. Known in the area as being supremely efficient, the family turns to him for assistance in securing the fate of their late child.

"Come in! Come in! What is it you want?" shouts the man from behind his desk. The father, closing the door behind him, steps forward with pounds in his hand.

"I will compensate you splendidly for the undertaking of my child… she died a few days ago on the stage, and therefore is need of immediate burial preparations, so…"

The undertaker swipes his hand forward, signaling the man to step back promptly.

"I will certainly accept your generous compensation, but it will cost more than that to subdue me into burying your child…"

"Why, you-!"

"Harold!" exclaims the woman, pulling her husband back towards her. The man sighs, looking down.

"I'm sorry… I suppose I'm just too distraught to think before I act… I mean, this money is all that we have. Is there any other way to perhaps bribe you not to take anymore?"

The undertaker scrapes the bottom of his chin with his long black nail and smiles, an idea coming to mind.

"How about your boy?"

"What?!"

"Put him in my care for a few days. I'm in desperate need of assistance, and his hard work might just earn you a free burial…"

"Free… burial? But why him? Why not me?"

"You're too stouty and old. I need someone young, fresh… small and, not so wicked…" The undertaker eyes the boy, who now resides behind the pant of his father, glancing timidly at the man.

"Well… alright."

"Harold! You can't honestly be considering it!"

"There's nothing to consider! Look, Lilith…" The man grabs the shoulders of his wife. "If we leave him here a few days, we'll be able to have our late daughter buried for free! Isn't that splendid?" The wife shakily nods. Her husband smiles. He turns to the undertaker. "We accept your offer, Mister…"

"Undertaker… just call me that…" says the man, leaning over his desk to shake the husband's hand. He leans back in his chair again and crosses his arms, smiling. "Time to leave. It's getting late, and poor Veronica is getting unfit and clammy. Just place her in the back before you depart. Have a nice day."

The parents leave, looking at each other with confused expressions.

"How did he know her name?"

A few seconds pass. The boy glances at the door, waiting for his parents to return. He frowns.

"He… he… he…"

The boy quickly turns to the undertaker, who is now happily chewing on a dog biscuit. He holds out the tin plate containing the biscuits in the direction of the child.

"Want one?"

The boy looks down, frowning.

"N-No, thank you…"

"He, he. You're not amusing at all!"

"I… didn't know I was supposed to be…"

"What's your name?"

"What?" The boy looks up.

"Oh, never mind. Take a seat next to me… Victor…"

"H-How did you know my name?" says the boy, sitting on a small stool next to the undertaker with hands on his knees.

"Special talents, but I guess you could call 'em a gift. You're eh, ten? You just turned that a few days ago, am I correct?"

"Yes… but, that's creepy! Then again, you look kind of questionable… even for an undertaker…"

"What's strange is that you didn't run away the second your parents left you here with me. Aren't you scared that I might… harm you in any way?"

Victor shakes his head.

"No…"

"Oh?"

"Because I don't know anything about you. To me, you're just an undertaker… or… at least, that's what everyone thinks…"

The undertaker rubs his chin with his nail. He smiles.

"Hm… you're pretty bright for a living young chap…"

"I owe my knowledge to books."

"Oh, so you love reading stories, huh…"

"Yes. I absolutely adore them."

"Hm… maybe I ought to tell you one… do you believe in fantasies?"

"Somewhat. I mean, you could wish they were real, but that doesn't mean they are."

"Ah-ha. Well, the one I'm about to tell you is true. Everything happened exactly as it happened."

"Oh, goodie! Then proceed!"

The undertaker grins.

_I was born in the year 1066 to a human mother… and Death…_

A miracle they called it… what had happened was that my mother, after giving birth to my sister, died. No one was aware of my presence in my mother's womb. They thought it was a blessing that my sister had been born, but regardless. One was dead… two were dead… it was a miserable mistake.  
I remained in my mother for an hour amiss the joyful and sad sobbing, when suddenly, something strange happened…  
My mother was clearly dead but for some reason, she started to contract. It was weird. She wasn't breathing. Her heart wasn't beating. The nurses, scared and predicting the worst, refused to assist the corpse in labor! Yes, it sounds farfetched, but it really did happen this way! She managed to release me from her body on her own, and I was… living. The dead, bearing the living… the living… being born from the dead! Many of those present wanted to kill me, immediately assuming I was evil, but… my sister. The instant I was born, she looked upon me with emerald eyes and… smiled. Everyone knew then and there that I needed to live... this was the instant I became…

A miracle…


	2. Persephone

_I suppose you could say that because of my mother's death, my sister and I were left with nothing. It is true, certainly, that we were deprived of the gentle nurturing one only gets from a mother, but only to an extent, at least… that's how it was to me…_

We may not have had a mother, but we had a father who provided us with everything we needed to survive. He was a very wealthy man… because of his business, we hardly ever saw him. This was acceptable to us, only because we already knew what it was like to be left alone to, fend for ourselves if need be…

My sister and I grew up in a castle surrounded by servants and nursemaids to keep us company. Although it was a rather gruesome place with the walls creaking and the tree branches tapping the windows at night, I…

"What is her name?"

"What?"

The undertaker looks down at Victor, who is gazing attentively at him from his place on the stool.

"Your sister! She obviously has a title…"

The undertaker grins from the corner of his mouth, almost as though half of his expression has changed from giddy to upset. He reaches for a white lily in a vase beside him, and upon grabbing its stem, stops.

"Her name…"

_"Tommy!"_

The undertaker grabs the lily and pulls it from the vase.

"Was Persephone…"

The memories of the undertaker come to life, visible only to he… just as they once were before…

A young Undertaker, age twelve, looks over his shoulder to see his twin sister scurry towards him, holding up the tips of her blue dress so she can run. She is frowning, tears dripping from her emerald eyes. Her silver hair is in an up-do. She crashes into her brother, causing them both to fall on the red-carpeted floor of the hallway.

"What is it, Persephone? What's wrong?" says the young man, brushing the hair of his sister gently with his hand. The young girl looks up at her brother, still crying immensely.

"T-Tommy…" The boy lifts his hand from his sister's waist. He gazes into her eyes, concerned.

"Persephone, have you lost weight?"

A nursemaid turns the corner. She holds her finger out to them, angry.

"YOU!" She stomps towards the two and grabs Persephone's wrist, lifting her from the floor. "I only adjusted it halfway, and you're already runnin' off. Shame, shame, SHAME!" She grasps tightly onto the girl's wrist and begins to walk away. The young man looks up at them, very confused.

"Adjusted… what, Agnes?"

The nursemaid turns around merely to give the boy an answer.

"Young lad, I doubt you'll ever find out, anyway, 'least before your weddin' night. A corset!"

"Cor-… -set?"

The nursemaid nods, carrying Persephone away. The boy looks down.

"What does she mean by that, I wonder?"

_"What was she like?"_

"My sister? Well, she… I… can't really say… she hardly ever frowned, only when she was upset… she smiled quite often… it sounds strange, but whenever I had a reason to feel sad, she would have one to make me feel happy. Her presence was momentous in my growth… my growth as a human being who loved to be loved, and who appreciated life to the fullest… she loved life, my sister… she loved… me…"

I recall an evening that I still hold dear in my heart… my sister and I were watching the sunset… the sun had just descended behind the trees when she looked at me… smiling…

"Tommy… isn't it beautiful?"

"Yes, Persephone… it's very beautiful…"

"You don't seem to be that impressed."

"Not if you ask me the same question every evening."

"Oh? What are you implying?"

"It's just that… the ending is always the same… no matter how you view it, the sun always sets, and the night, in turn, rises… even if you enjoy the day wholeheartedly, it always ends in darkness…"

"Do you enjoy the daytime, Tommy?"

"Of course. It's spent with you, isn't it?"

The boy tries to tickle his sister. She playfully swipes his arms away.

"Is that why you look so negatively upon the night?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. In a few hours, we'll be wasting our time sleeping when we could be having fun. And it's all because of the nighttime…"

"Tommy…"

"Hm?"

Persephone brushes her brother's bangs from his forehead.

"Hair is in your face again. I told you to cut it."

"And look like a boy? Oh, please…"

The boy pushes his sister's hand away from his hair. She continues to try and brush his bangs back again, and he reacts the same way. They laugh.

"If you… don't cut it… I won't be able to… give you this!"

Persephone reaches over her brother's forehead and gives him a kiss. The boy stops playing. He looks at his sister, who is now lying next to him on the grass, eying the stars and smiling.

_"What was that for?"_

"Tommy… someday we'll be gone, and one of us is bound to go first…"

_"What is she saying?"_

"Fun doesn't always last forever…"

_"Per-… -sephone…"_

Persephone looks at her brother, closes her eyes, and smiles.

"But as long as we…"

_"W-What?"_

"There will never be darkness…"

"Darkness…"

_Darkness…_

Undertaker looks down at the lily… frowning.

"Mister Undertaker, what did she say?"

"What… did she… say?"

"Yes, after she kissed you…"

Undertaker glances at Victor.

"Oh, nothing…" he says, smiling. He crushes the lily secretly behind his back.

"Nothing at all…"


	3. Hello, Birdie

_Chirp, chirp, chirp!_

"Hm?"

Persephone gazes at the corner of her eye and stops.

It is a relatively cool summer day. Persephone's tutor, Mary, is reading an excerpt from a Greek drama. They had been strolling for quite a considerable amount of time in the lush garden of the estate, that is, until Persephone became distracted. She now looks directly at a small bird perched on the branch of a nearby hedge. Without considering her tutor, Persephone begins to walk towards the bird, anxious to see it up close. She reaches the bird and, minding her manners, levels her eyes towards it while mum.

"Oh? Miss?" Mary glances at the girl from her place on the pathway. By this time, Persephone has slowly moved her hand towards the bird, anticipating petting its beak.

"Hello, little birdie…", whispers Persephone. She finally touches the beak, rubbing it gently with the tip of her finger.

Chirp, chirp, chirp!

"My, that's a tolerable bird if I ever saw one!", says Mary as she approaches. Persephone pays no attention. She continues to pet the bird's beak and moves on to the feathers.

"Do you think it is hurt?"

"No… old, maybe."

Persephone smiles.

"My Lord…"

"Hm?" A man with striking blue eyes and blonde hair looks up from his desk. His sleeves brush against the wood, for he is dressed in medieval garb.

"I am sorry to disturb your work…" The man standing before him bows. "The young Master has arrived…"

"Good. Send him in." The attendant bows again. He turns around and walks to the door. He opens it. Thomas walks in, looking up at the blonde man with admiration. The blonde man stands up, smiling friendly at the boy. "Hello, son."

"Hello, father…" The two exchange looks for a while, not saying a word. The blonde man sits down again. He takes up his quill and begins to write something on paper. His expression, now serious, signals the boy to come closer. "You… came back." The tip of the man's quill screeches. He ignores the mark he has made and continues to write. Thomas swallows, looking down at his pen.

"Children may only speak when they are addressed…"

"Yes, father…"

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, father…"

"Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, father…"

"Are you comprehending and therefore taking into consideration every word I say?" retorts the blonde, looking up at Thomas. Thomas looks down, bangs covering his eyes.

"Yes… father…" The blonde smiles.

"Hmph... filth…" Thomas's father looks at his paper and sighs.

_My father never really understood my origins. In fact, he blamed me for it most of all. "For the death of my mother… he thinks it's my fault…"_

"Listen, boy, and listen good… I am in no mood for ignorance…"

"Yes, father…" The blonde frowns.

"I am sending you to Germany so you can attain proper schooling. It is a much cheaper venture than hiring tutors every so often… though I am wealthy and therefore a very prestigious man, I am frugal in my expenders…"

"Yes, father…"

I knew the truth. He didn't want to see my face any longer…

"There. You may go." Thomas nods. He turns to face the door and stops.

"Um… father... Persephone… she will be joining me?" Thomas's father smiles. He looks down.

"No. I will not have my daughter associate… with the likes of you anymore…"

"Tommy, Tommy! Look at the birdy I got! Isn't she nice?" Persephone races to her brother in the hallway, holding a birdcage and smiling. Thomas, hands in pockets, instantly smiles.

"Yes, Nini… very nice. Where did you get her?"

"Hehe, it's a secret!" Thomas pats the head of his sister.

"Next week's our birthday. We're turning thirteen! Isn't that great?" Persephone nods her head.

"Will father join us?"

"Probably…" Persephone's smile turns into a grin.

Her innocence could not be tainted by the story I concealed…

Thomas smiles, too.

"Did you ever go to Germany?"

"Stop interrupting, boy!" laughs Undertaker, looking up. "Hehe… it gets pretty sad from here on out… are you sure you want me to continue?"

"Yes!"

"Alright… hehe…"

_My thirteenth birthday came about a week later. Take in mind I wasn't actually thirteen officially yet… that wasn't to be until precisely eleven fifty-nine… preparations were at hand on both sides…_

Both… sides?

Uh-hum… most do not realize, boy that there are beings existing in coexisting worlds… without these particular creatures would there be no point to life… or death… see, someone was going to die that very evening and from then on, my fate would be sealed…


	4. Bye, Bye, Birdie

"Would you like some refreshments, Victor? You seem a bit peckish…"

"Well, um… no…"

"Eh, suit yourself…"

The undertaker brings back an urn of bone biscuits that he has just extended out to Victor, taking one for himself. He munches on it at the corner of his mouth. Victor swallows, looking down at his feet.

"Mr. Undertaker… about your story…"

"Ye'?"

"Are you going to continue it?"

"Just a minute, boy! Let me 'ave some munchies before I faint!" says the undertaker, crunching his food.

"Then… tell me more about Persephone…"

_Bam!_

The undertaker bangs the urn onto the table, startling Victor immensely. He grins.

"Okay, boy. You want me to finish up the story? 'Cause I'll finish it right and good… tell you every last detail about what happened that night, even the gruesome parts…" Victor glances at the undertaker. He is not even looking at him, but at the urn, perhaps outwardly talking to himself.

"Please… speak…" The undertaker sighs.

"Before I speak, might I ask you a question?"

"Y-Yes… go ahead…" The undertaker looks at Victor, still holding on to the urn.

"What sound does a birdie make?"

"B-Birdie? Cheep, cheep, I suppose…"

"Hm… hm, hm… HM, HM, HM, HM, HM!" laughs the undertaker to himself…

"Tommy, Tommy! Something's wrong with the birdie!"

Persephone, dressed in formal attire, races to her brother. Thomas leans against a hallway wall, frowning. It is their birthday. He is not looking forward to the celebration.

"It's making a peculiar sound. Wanna here it, Tommy?" Thomas looks at his sister. He flicks his head to the side and walks down the hallway, arms crossed, attempting to ignore her.

"No…"

"But… Tommy!"

"I said NO, Nini! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!" exclaims Thomas, turning around and shouting in her face.

"T-Tommy!" Persephone starts to cry.

"Tch…" Thomas turns around and continues to walk. He closes his eyes.

_I was very angry… Father was sending me away the next morning… I did not want to celebrate my thirteenth birthday included as a departure party! And my dear sister… what was she to do without me? I did not want to look at her... I did not want to be loving. I wanted her to despise me on my last day, so that she would grow independent in the years to come…_

_HACK!_

Thomas's father coughs, leaning against a wall with one hand after leaving his den. He coughs again. Blood spurts out of his mouth. He covers it with one hand, eyes wide. He looks down at his hand, shaking. A man approaches him, rushing to his side when he sees the blood.

"Mr. Re-…"

_Slap!_

Thomas's father slaps his hand away. He wipes his mouth with a handkerchief, eyes closed and frowning.

"I am fine. File those papers and prepare for my departure, ah!" The father collapses to the ground. The man quickly comes to his side.

"Sir… SIR!"

Thomas is walking through the forestry behind his home. He brushes his hands against branches as he walks. He sighs irritably.

"Stupid party… foolish father… GOD! I DESPISE THIS! THEY NEED TO DIE, THEY NEED TO DIE! SOMEONE NEEDS TO DIE!"

_Snap!_

Thomas snaps a thin green branch off a tree.

_That very instant…_

This very instant…

_I fell to the ground…_

He falls to the ground…

_Dizziness overcame me. I was mad, I tell you! MAD! Everything I saw, distorted! My heart pounded heavily. I reached my hand out as if for counsel, but no one was there! I cried…_

"Per-… Persephone… sister… please… ah…"

_My head hit the grass... I lay there for quite some time until I heard…_

"TOMMY! TOMMY!"

_I quickly gained conscious with all the strength I could muster, and ascended. Balancing on the trees, I found, though dizzy, I was still able to see. I ran towards the mansion once my dizziness nearly faded and entered my sister's room._

"What is it, Nini?!" Persephone looks up at her brother from kneeling on the ground. Tears are in her eyes.

"The birdie! He's… not… moving!" Thomas edges around her. He cannot see it exactly. He kneels down beside her, in front of the opened cage. He immediately glances at the bird, now lying on the floor, motionless.

_Death… DEATH… that's what it was… it was DEATH! Death right before me! Death, death, DEATH!_

Thomas's eyes open wide. He does not blink. He frowns. His lips cringe. He crosses his arms and starts rubbing them briskly.

"Death… dying…"

"What?" Persephone sniffs, glancing at Thomas.

"He… it's dead… it's dead, it's DEAD!" exclaims Thomas, shutting his eyes.

"Oh, Tommy!" says Persephone, hugging him and crying.

_It was the first time I had ever witnessed Death… I was a child! I was feeling sadness! Or was I? That instance… that feeling… it couldn't have been sadness, for it felt much like the sensation one gets when he or she has just made a new discovery… and wants to discover more…_

I discovered something new that night… my father was dying of the heart disease he had concealed from us… Persephone and I watched over his bed as we counted the final minutes of his life… he took Persephone's hand…

He smiled…

He glanced at me…

Frowned…

And died…

At exactly…

Eleven fifty-eight…

On my birthday…

In a singular instance, a pain hit my head…

All the blood seemed to rush out of me…

I turned away, holding my head…

I closed my eyes…

I opened them again, only to discover...

I was nearly blind…


	5. Blinded By Love

"Tommy… Tommy…"

Thomas's lips and eyes quiver. He holds both sides of his head, taking wide quick steps towards the bed. He touches the bed with one hand, breathing heavily.

"TOMMY!"

Thomas closes his eyes.

"Uem… hn!"

"Tommy, Tommy! Look at me, look at me!" exclaims Persephone, grabbing her brother's arms and forcing him to face her. He opens his eyes slowly, drowsily.

"Pe-Persephone…"

"Yes, Tommy. I am here. Are you alright?" says Persephone, rubbing his arms up and down, frowning. Thomas blinks his eyes rapidly.

"Yes… I am… okay…" says Thomas, frowning.

_I didn't understand it at all. One minute, I was instantly blind. The next, my vision was perfect. Spotting Persephone that instance returned my lost vision. What had happened? Was it some strange phenomenon resulting from shock? I did not know… more importantly though, I did not know what had REALLY hit me that evening…_

A year passed, then another year… I stayed at my father's estate as an apprentice under my father's closest employee until I could run the business myself… Persephone… she… grew each passing day… I appeared to stay the same… another year. Persephone was sixteen. She had met someone at a party… another year. She was engaged… soon after, she was married with a big dourly… I, for some reason, maintained my thirteen year-old bodily state, and because of it, was asked by Persephone's husband to will the business to him… I did, only because, in those times, it looked bad for a "child" to run a business… Persephone, oh, she was beautiful. I wanted her to be happy, and I, she… she, took care of me, until at the age of forty…

"Tommy…" she said one evening. She had typhoid fever, and was dying… she looked up at me with her sweet green eyes and said, softly…

"I… said long ago that someday… one of us would leave this world first… that fun… doesn't always last forever…"

"Persephone…" I held her hand tightly. Persephone smiled. She squeezed my hand.

"You have… maintained your youth… since that… since that day… cough, cough!" She sniffed, glancing at me again, still smiling. "It is a blessing… do not let anyone bring you down because of it... and don't forget… don't forget… what I told you… when we were young and… happy…" I nodded. She smiled even more. "I… love, you… Tom-… -my…"

Her hand slowly left mine. She silently closed her eyes, her smile fading away with her soul…

"Ah… Persephone…"

_CLINK!_

"UH! MR. UNDERTAKER!" The undertaker has just knocked down a vase of lilies. Standing, he cringes against the broken glass. The following happens in the same sequence…

"Per-… -seph-… -NII…"

Both young and old Undertaker grin madly.

"Uh, AHHH!" Tommy knocks over a small vase of lilies on Persephone's bedside. He covers his eyes with one hand. The other is tearing away at his cheek. He collapses to the ground, smiling uncontrollably. He uncovers his eyes and pulls on the bed sheet. He is screaming.

"QUICK! CALL A MEDIC! HE'S MAD, MAD!" exclaims Persephone's husband.

Moments pass…

Thomas is being carried out of the estate by two men. He has calmed down a bit and is now frowning. Persephone's husband watches as he leaves, conversing with a doctor.

"He's been like this ever since his father died... I don't know if his body's in a state of shock or what, but… after Persephone died, he didn't react the way most brothers do when their siblings die…"

"How did he act?" asks the doctor. The husband sighs.

"He smiled. After his sister died, he neither cried nor mourned, but… he SMILED!"

Thomas is thrown onto a cart. He is locked in. He sits on the floor, hands on his knees, and looks down, hair in his face. He glances up slightly.

"My eyes…"

"What… a-… -bout them?" says Victor, scared.

"They…"

"Were green and… YELLOW... and I… was nearly blind once more…"

_I remained in my own special cell in the mad house for twenty years… blinded, cursed by my yellow eyes and my ability to never age… I was chained up on a straw bed, counting each and every terrible day, hoping it was my last… then, in 1126… something happened that would change my life forever…_


	6. Trust

It is nighttime. Thomas, chained, breathes heavily, cold and clothed in rags. He is leaning against the wall of his cell. A singular window shines moonlight onto him from behind.

"Hey, Al! STOP overdoing it!"

"Overdoing it? Tch… I'm just having some fun, Fray…"

"This isn't some sort of game, you moron. Get going before Sempai finds out!"

"I'm going as fast as I can, Baron. Just take the record with you and I'll meet you guys back home, 'kay?"

"OH, USELESS!"

Thomas slowly opens his eyes. He leans forward. He tries to stand but cannot. Instead, he quietly crawls to the bars of his cell, holds onto them, and looks left.

"Give me that!"

"Get your own death scythe!"

"I can't until we return! Your clumsiness cost me one again! Hand it over so I can finish the job then we can leave!"

Outside of another cell, two strange men are fighting. Thomas cannot see them at all, though they sound… different…

"Sh, sh, sh. Look!"

"Huh?" The two stop fighting to glance at Thomas. Thomas leans back, assuming they have spotted him. "Is… that what I think it is?!"

"Maybe… call Sempai."

"Too late." In that instance, two more men jump into the room. One looks at them, frowning. "Tch… idiots…"

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" says the other, walking towards Thomas's cell. Thomas, upon hearing the voice, leans against the side wall, breathing heavily. The man touches a bar with the tip of his finger. "Hm… Black…" The other man nods. He removes a blade from a holster around his waist, approaches him, and slashes the bars until they are broken off completely. Thomas cringes in the corner, covering his face with his hands. "It's alright, boy… no one's gonna hurt you..." says the man, kneeling down in front of Thomas. He looks over his shoulder at the other man. "Mr. Black?" The man nods again. He approaches Thomas and, with his blade, slashes the chains into a million pieces. Thomas removes his hands from his face, looking down and frowning. "See?" Thomas looks up at the man. The man lifts the hair from Thomas's forehead and smiles. "Ah, look at those eyes… I knew tonight would be special, hehehe…"

"Who was he?" asks Victor. The undertaker, who is now sitting on the table, smiles.

"That, my little boy, was…"

"Who… are you?" asks Thomas.

"My name is…"

"SEMPAI!"

"Huh?" He turns around. One of the men from before races towards the cell with his buddy following him.

"I'm so sorry! Fray tried stopping me, but I couldn't help it! Please don't kill the kid because of my mistake! I promise not to be loud again! FORGIVE ME, SEMPAI!" exclaims the man, attempting to run to his superior dramatically. He cannot, however, because the man that had accompanied his superior is holding his band with one hand.

"Tch… fools…" says the stiff, looking down. He sighs and looks at his superior. "Is he what I think he is?"

"Yes…" says the superior, glancing at Thomas. "Your name is… Thomas Reaper, correct?" Thomas gulps.

"Yes… but how did you…"

"It's a skill of mine. Ha, anyway, if we don't get going, someone's bound to come looking. Mr. Black?"

"Understood" says the man, nodding. He walks over to Thomas, preparing to escort him out of the cell. The superior stands but Thomas, who only trusts he, grabs hold of the superior's pant leg. The superior looks down at the boy. He smiles, lifting the boy up over his shoulders.

"S-Sir…"

"Don't worry. I've got him…" The superior dashes out of the house with Thomas holding onto his neck. Black is the last one to follow.

"This is against regulations…" he retorts to himself before departing.

The four, after having travelled over rooftops and the like, enter another dimension. Thomas is not sure of where they are though, for he cannot see a thing. The superior carries Thomas in his arms while the other three follow him from behind. There are whispers and chanting coming from all directions.

"Ah, here we are. Is this your office, Flysp?"

"Y-Yes!" exclaims the man, referring to a silver desk with a rolling leather black chair. The superior sets Thomas on the chair gently. A woman, perhaps a secretary, comes up to the group holding a clipboard to her chest. She waits for instruction from the superior.

"Retrieve Dr. Dyer…"

"Yes!" says the secretary, immediately off. The superior looks at Thomas with great consideration.

"Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat or drink?" Thomas does not respond. The secretary returns with a woman, presumably the doctor. "Ah, Brigit!"

"Please… don't call me that at WORK!" says the woman, holding her clipboard close to her and angered. The superior sighs.

"Well, I've got something for you!"

"Oh?" The woman looks over his shoulder at Thomas. She quickly walks up to him and kneels down, dropping her clipboard. "OH, YOU POOR BABY!" she exclaims, hugging his tightly.

"Isn't he about sixty years old, lady?" says one of the men to himself. The woman wipes away a tear and smiles.

"Listen. I'm gonna give you a quick checkup and set you up with some spectacles!"

"Spec-… -tacles?"

"So you can see, silly! Now, where is it, AH!" says the woman, looking through her pockets to finally find a strange instrument that appears to be a sharp knife. She aims it at Thomas's eye. Even a nearly blind man can see a knife pointed at him. She stops when he shuts his eyes. She taps her chin and looks at the knife. "Hm, so his eyesight isn't too shabby… five centimeters from the pupil, now then…" She puts her hand in a pocket and takes out thin silver frames and two pieces of glass. She quickly assembles spectacles by chiseling the glass into the shape of two lenses and placing them in the silver frames. "TA-DAH!" she exclaims, smiling and handing the masterpiece to Thomas. "Try them on, Baby!"

"Baby?!" the men sigh. Thomas takes the glasses and looks down at them. The superior taps his hand.

"Place them on your nose and the sides around your ear…" Thomas follows his instructions. He closes his eyes as he tries them on, and opens them after they are placed securely on his nose. The first person he sees is the superior smiling at him. He rolls back in his chair, terrified. Everyone in the huge room is staring at him.

"W-W-What?!"

"Ha, ha!"

"Don't laugh, Al!"

"But he's scared!"

"Sh… Thomas…" says the superior, walking up to him. He extends his hands out to him, smiling. Thomas backs up even more until he bumps into another desk. He is cringing. "It's okay, it's okay. I know you're terrified. It's normal. Everyone feels this way when they find out they're a shinigami…"

"Shin-… -i-… -gami?!" The superior nods.

"There is much for me to explain, but well… um…"

"Perhaps it would be best if you introduce ourselves, Sir…" says Black, adjusting his glasses. The superior smiles.

"Yes! I forgot about that back there! Well, Thomas…" The superior extends his hand for Thomas to shake. "My name is Maxwell Overture." Thomas shakes his hand, quickly pulling it back to him. "I… guess you could say that I have the biggest role here at the Shinigami Dispatch Society…"

"He founded it, you know…"

"And this is my assistant, Copernicus Black…" says he, pulling his arm over his assistant's shoulder. "Those other two you have encountered are Alfred Flysp and Fray Baron, his partner…" Alfred waves at Thomas and forces Fray to do the same. "This lovely lady is Doctor Brigit Dyer. She's in charge of making and repairing spectacles…" The woman nods. Thomas looks at all them, including the massive body of people still in the room. "Everyone, this is Thomas Reaper! Thomas Reaper… THE SHINIGAMI DISPATCH SOCIETY!" Everyone cheers.

I didn't quite understand the situation or the beings before me, but there was one person I instantly trusted… Maxwell Overture, the founder and head of this strange place known as the Shinigami Dispatch Society…

_~Extras! Profile: Four Shinigami!~_

Name: Maxwell Overture  
Age: Unknown  
Position: Founder and Head of the Shinigami Dispatch Society  
Hair Color: Hazel  
Eye Color: Green/Yellow  
Height: 6'2  
Weight: Unknown, but pretty healthy  
Weapon: (hehe, unknown)  
Description: Unlike the rest of the shinigami, Max doesn't wear a uniform. Instead, he wears a velvet red-brown coat similar to that of a robe, with a black strap hanging around it, as it is open and not tied around his waist. The shirt underneath is white and semi-puffy with frill extending up from mid-chest to tip of neck in place of buttons. His hair is shoulder length with long bangs parting on the right side of his face. His pants are black and tight. He wears black combat boots with a slight heel. A gold, or perhaps silver chain, hangs from his pants on his left side.

Name: Copernicus Black  
Age: Unknown  
Position: Maxwell Overture's assistant  
Hair Color: Black  
Eye Color: Green/Yellow  
Height: 6'1  
Weight: Unknown, but pretty healthy  
Weapon: Replacement Blades  
Description: Black wears the proper shinigami uniform, except his suit, unlike the rest, has a bluish tint to it. He wears blue shoelaces. He carries blades in holsters around his waist. His hair is short and messy.

Name: Alfred Flyser  
Age: Unknown  
Position: Mid-Ranked shinigami  
Hair color: Blonde  
Eye Color: Green/Yellow  
Height: 5'6  
Weight: Unknown, but kind of chubby, hehe  
Weapon: Pickaxe  
Description: Alfred is a chubby guy. He wears the proper uniform. His hair is short and messy with a trace of bangs. There is an orange streak in his hair. His uniform has an orange tint to it. He wears orange shoelaces. He is often seen with his pickaxe over his shoulder and smiling.

Name: Fray Baron  
Age: Unknown  
Position: Low-Ranked shinigami going on mid-ranked shinigami, Alfred's partner  
Hair Color: Dark Purple  
Eye Color: Green/Yellow  
Height: 5'8  
Weight: Unknown, but very skinny  
Weapon: Garden Rake  
Description: Fray wears the proper shinigami uniform. His suit has a purple tint and he wears purple shoelaces. His hair is above his shoulders and pulled back on one side. He is often seen leaning against his retractable garden rake sucking on his thumb.


End file.
